


The World Is Wide Enough

by thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey



Series: The World Turned Upside Down. [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Gen, LIKE EVER, Smol Paladins, maybe some OC's later, no klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 16:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11878494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey/pseuds/thegalrahobbitofplantetgalilfrey
Summary: So, basically, I wanted a "paladins grow up together and are buddies for life" AU without A.) Shiro as Keith's adopted dad/brother, and B.) That didn't end in Klance. Starts when they're small and then progresses, because guess what it's time for another series! Just when you thought I was done.





	1. Chapter 1

"Hawaii is noisy."

Akira Kogane laughed and ruffled his eight-year-old son's hair. "Yes, it is, Keith. Very big tourist trap."

Keith's eyes widened. "We're trapped?"

"Figure of speech, son. Hawaii is very nice, I promise. We'll go to the beach, how does that sound?"

Keith eyed the distant beach with distaste. "There's an awful lot of water. Is it safe?"

"Of course it is. There are lifeguards, and maybe you'll meet some kids your age. Won't that be nice?"

"Won't ever see them again, Keith grumbled, but he looked a little excited at least. Akira sighed. He loved his son, but he could be a little contrary and would rather run around the desert on his own than with a playmate.

"Alright," Akira smiled, "we'll find our hotel and get on our swim trunks, and we'll go." Keith slipped his hand into his father's and practically skipped down the street.

 

"Hey! My name's Hunk! What's yours?"

Keith tilted his head at the boy in front of him. He had slightly darker skin and black hair, his big brown eyes kind. "My name's Keith. Do you live here?"

Hunk nodded. "My dad works in the city, bit my mom owns a little restaurant on the beach, so I hang out here. Where are you from?"

"Texas."

Hunk nodded like something had just clicked in his head. "I thought you didn't look very phased by the heat. Do you want to make a sand castle with me and Katie?" He nodded to a little preschooler with her parents and brother. She was playing with a tablet. "She doesn't really like being outside, but she told me that if I could find another person, she would help us build one. She said that we could build the walls and stuff while she made catapults and siege weapons."

"Sounds like fun!" Hunk grinned and led him and Katie over to a clear patch of sand. Keith's dad grinned at him as if to say _I told you so,_ and Keith wrinkled his nose at him.

"Okay, so here's an onager and a siege tower, but I'm still working on the ladders."

"Those are some big words for a kindergartner."

Katie shrugged. "I read a lot."

"Wow, Hunk, this is looking really good."

Keith looked up to see a new boy, this one with blue eyes and messy brown hair, holding a surfboard. "Who're you?"

"This is Lance. Lance, this is Keith. He's our new friend."

Lance grinned. "Hi. Do you know how to surf?"

"No. I don't go to the coast much."

"I'll teach you, then! Come on, it'll be fun! Hunk doesn't like it, and Katie  refuses to get into the water."

Keith looked back at Hunk, who grinned. "Go ahead. Me and Katie can keep going."

"I don't have a surfboard, though."

"You can borrow mine," Hunk assured him, "I don't use it much." He pointed to a beach towel with a surfboard next to it.

Lance grabbed Keith's arm. "Come on!" He was practically dancing, ready to get back in the water. The two boys charged into the surf, splashing and laughing. They pushed through the waves and Lance showed Keith how to balance and ride little waves.

"There are some _really_ big waves out here, but I'm not allowed to go into them without an adult because it's dangerous. Oh, look, here comes another good surfing wave!" He stood up and balanced on the board, Keith following his lead.

"Are you sure this is okay," Keith asked nervously, "That wave is kind of big."

Lance's brow creased. "It _is_ a little big. Maybe we should-" Whatever he was going to say next was drowned out by the wave crashing on top of them. Keith was knocked off of his board, water surging over him. He clawed his way back to the surface, taking in a great gulping breath before he saw Lance hurtling towards him on his board, barely managing to balance, let alone steer.

He waved his arms around wildly. "Keith! Get out of the-"

With a loud _crunch,_ Lance's board smacked into Keith's head, shoving him back under.

A whirl of bubbles surrounded Keith, water closing around him. He was so shocked that he took in a mouthful of water, dazedly trying to swim to the surface. What was wrong with him? Why was his vision turning black?

Strong arms encircled his chest and dragged him to the surface, pulling him to the beach, everything fading in and out of focus. He could hear Hunk, Katie and his dad all yelling.

"Ohmygosh!" Lance was shouting, "I killed him! I killed him! He's dead! What did I _do!"_

"Relax," someone else said, "He's not dead. Move back and give him some space." Something was pushing on his chest, and he coughed up seawater. And then promptly vomited all over the beach, shivering violently and coughing.

"Alright," someone said, "you'll be okay. Just don't try to move too much right now, alright?"

Keith's dad swept him up into a hug. "Don't scare me like that! Never again!"

"S-sorry."

"It's alright, Keith. You're safe now, and that's really what matters."

"You might want to get him checked out for a concussion. That board hit him pretty hard."

Keith's dad turned to his savior. "Thank you. Thank you so much for saving him. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost him."

The older boy smiled. "It's no problem. I was just nearby. Anyone else would've done the same."

Keith tilted his head and immediately regretted it as a wave of nausea swept through him. "What's your name?"

"Takeshi. Takeshi Shirogane."

"Thank you Take- Takesh-"

Takeshi grinned. "Just call me Shiro. Most people do. Happy to help." He stood up and gave a little wave. "No more surfboarding for a while, okay? Tell your dad to give you ice cream for your head."

"Bye!"

"Really, though, thank you."

"Anytime."

"If there's anything I can do..."

"Really, my pleasure. I should get going, though. It was nice to meet you all." He gave one last wave and weaved through the crowd. In another moment, he was gone.

"Are you okay?" Hunk shot immediately to Keith's side. "That was crazy. What _happened?!"_

"There was a big wave, and it knocked me off, and Lance's surfboard went nuts and smacked me in the head! And then I almost drowned, but Shiro pulled me out."

Lance was wide-eyed, white-faced and shaking. "I'm sorry," he wailed, "If I'd known that would happened, I never would have- I didn't want to smack you, but I couldn't control it!"

"It's okay. You didn't mean to."

"But you almost _died!"_

"But I didn't."

A woman who was obviously Hunk's mother pushed her way through, as well as a couple who had to be Lance's parents. "Are you alright?" she panted, "I saw you get pulled up, but the crowd got in the way."

"I'll be fine," Keith replied more confidently than he felt, "just a little headache."

Lance looked at his parents with big, worried eyes. "I almost killed him," he whispered.

"Oh, Lance, sweetheart, did you go out too far? We told you to be careful."

"I didn't," he protested, "A giant wave just popped up! I stayed close, I promise!"

"He really did," Keith said, seeing their skeptical faces, "We weren't very far."

"There's a doctor's office over there," Hunk's mother told them, "you should probably check to make sure."

"See you later." Hunk waved cheerfully.

 

"So, got smacked in the head, huh? Keep your eyes open." The doctor shined a little light in Keith's eyes, and he struggled not to blink. "Read that, over there." Keith read a little sign about being careful in the ocean (which he found incredibly ironic), and the doctor nodded thoughtfully. "You probably don't have a concussion, but there'll be a good-sized knot on your head. If he experiences any sudden dizziness or blackouts, take him to another doctor, okay?

Keith's dad nodded and Keith hopped off of the table. He turned towards the door. His friends were waiting.

 

Two weeks later, Keith and his dad were ready to fly home. Keith made one last goodbye to his friends and boarded the plane. He sat down with a contented sigh. He might never see any of them again, but the few weeks had been the happiest of his life.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically wanted to explain how Shiro and Keith are in the same place in the next fan fiction.

Keith squinted at a person across the street. His dad had left him outside while he got their groceries, and he was people-watching. But that particular person looked _incredibly_ familiar. Where had he..." He snapped his fingers. The beach.

"Shiro!"

The teenager looked around, confused, and then spotted a frantically waving Keith. His face broke into a grin and he jogged over the where Keith was sitting.

"Hey, Keith, what're _you_ doing here?"

"Grocery shopping. We live out in the desert. Why are _you_ here?"

Shiro laughed. "I live here. My high school is here. I've got some back-to-school shopping to do."

Another boy about Shiro's age walked out of a store and waved. Shiro waved back. "That's Matt Holt. His family is military; they just moved to the area."

Keith studied Matt. He'd been at the beach, too, but... Ah. Katie's brother. Sure enough, little Katie skipped out after her brother, chattering before spotting Keith and Shiro and waving excitedly. Keith's face broke into a smile. He might not have all of his friends, but it was a start.

 

The next few years were the happiest of Keith's life. He, Katie, Matt and Shiro all stuck together like they'd been glued with crazy glue. Keith's dad made plenty of jokes about them, but that didn't faze them. Even when Shiro and Matt went to a military college, they kept in touch. Friends forever.

 


End file.
